Spark-advancing mechanism



F. CONRAD ET AL SPARK ADVANCING MECHANISM Aug. 28, 1923.

Filed April 14 WITNESSES T EY Patented Aug. 28, 1923.

FRANK CONRAD, F- PITTSBURGH, AND

PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO'WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC J. STANLEY KINNEY, OF WILKINSBURG, AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

SPARK-ADVANCING MECHANISM.

Application filed April 14, 1920. Serial No. 373,845.

To all whom it may concern 7.

Be it known that we FRANK CoNimo, a citizen of the l nited States, and a resident. of Pittsburgh, in the county of i-illegheny and State of Pennsylvania, and J. STANLEY KINNEY, a citizen of the United States, and

a resident of lVilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Spark-Advancing Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to ignition systems for internal-combustion engines and particularly to mechanisms for controlling the time of the spark in an ignition system.

One object of our invention is to provide means that shall advance or retard the spark in an ignition system-for an automobile in a simple and efficient manner and that shall be easily controlled at all times by the operator of the automobile.

In manually controlling the adj ustment of the spark in an ignition system for the internal-combustion engine of an automobile, trouble is often encountered in effecting an accurate adjustment, inasmuch as it is diflicult, in many systems, to change the degree of advance by small increments.

In an ignition system provided with mechanism constructed in accordance with our invention for advancing the spark, a differentially-movable member is provided for so controlling the driving means for the timing mechanism as to permit the adjustmentof the spark by very small increments. In the preferred form of practicing our invention, the generator, which is connected to the internal combustion engine, is joined to the' timing mechanism of the system by a worm member and a. worm wheel. The worm wheel is directly connected to the timing mechanism. and the worm member is slidably mounted upon the shaft of the generator. The worm member is provided with a sleeve having spiral slots formed in it,

and the generator shaft is provided with--- pins whi project into said slots for effectmg a spiral movement of the worm member when it is moved along the generator shaft.

In order to vary the position of the timing mechanism relative to the engine, the worm member is moved along the generator shaft. If the worm member were moved linearly along the generatorshaft, the advance of the spark would be eifected at too rapid a rate to permit a. very accurate adjustment. However, the pin-and-groove connection between the generator shaft and the worm member modifies and opposes the action of the worm member in varying the degree of advance. Thus, a differential movement of the worm member is effected which permits varying the time of the spark by small increments.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 1s a side elevational view, partially in sec tion, of an ignition mechanism constructed 1n accordance with our invention, and Fig. 2 IS an end elevational View, partially in section, of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, a generator 1, comprisinga. frame 2 having an extension casing 3 and a. shafit 4, is connected, in any suitable manner, to an internal combustion engine (not shown.) The shaft 4 of the generator is connected to the timing mechanisms 5 and 6 in a manner to permit an accurate adjustment of the time'of the spark in the ignition system for the engine.

The timing mechanisms 5 and Gare directly mounted upon the extended, portion 3 of the generator frame, and the shaft 7 of the timing mechanism 6 is connected to the generator 4 by means of a worm wheel 8 and a worm member 9. The worm wheel 8 is directly mounted upon the shaft 7. The worm member 9 is slidably mounted-upon the shaft 4 and is connected to .it by a pin-andgroove connection. The worm member comprises a sleeve 10, which has spiral slots 11 and 12, and a grooved collar 13 which is disposed adjacent to teeth 14 of the worm; The shaft 4. is provided with pins 15, one only of which is illustrated, for projecting into the slots 11 and 12 formed in the sleeve 10 of the worm member. A fan mem ber 16 ismounted upon the collar 13 for maintaining a circulation of the oil contained in the casing 3.

The timing mechanisms 5 and any suitable construction and, inasmuch as the means for operating the timing mebhanism 5 is similar to the means for operating the timing mechanism 6, the construction and operation of only one means will be completely described, namely, the eonnectin means between the timing mechanism 6 an is mounted upon a short shaft 20. The shaft" 20 is provided with any suitable bearings upon the casing 3 and carries a yoke member 21 which is provided with sliding block members 22 that operate in the groove of the collar 13. Thus, if the lever 19 is operated in a forward or in a reverse direction, the yoke 21 and the blocks 22 operate upon the collar 13 to move the worm member-19 along the-generator shaft 4. Such movement of the worm member 9 along the generator shaft varies theposition of the worm wheel 8 relative to the shaft 4 and, accordingly, ef-

fects a variation in the time of the spark of the ignition system. If the worm member 9 were moved linearly along the shaft 4., the variation would be large foria very small movement of the worm 19 and,.accordingly, it would be difficult to effect an'a'ccurate adjustment of the spark. However, by providing a pinend-groo've connection between the worm member 9 and the generator shaft 4, a

differential movement of the worm member is effected and the action of the worm member is so modified as to permit small changes in the spark advance for relatively large movements of the'lever 19. The lever 19 may be controlled, in any suitable manner, by the operatorof the vehicle.

. Modificationsin the system and in the arrangement and location of parts may be made within the spirit and scope of our' in .vention and such modifications are'intend'ed to be covered by the appended claims.

We claim as" our inventioht 4 1. In an ignition system, the combination comprising a worm wheel, a worm -member 1n engagement with said wheel, a shaft for supporting said worm member, and means comprismg a pin carried by said member and a spiral groove in said shaft for connect ng said worm member to said shaft.

2. In an ignition system, the combination comprising a worm wheel, a driving shaft,

- and a worm member having a pin-and-spiralgroove connection to said shaft and slidable along the shaft while meshing with said wormwheel.

3. In an ignition system, the combination compri'slng a worm wheel, a driving shaft, a worm member mounted on .said shaft and effecting engagement with said worm wheel, and means comprising pins projecting from said shaft and operating in spiral grooves formed in said worm member for joining the worm member to the shaft.

4:. In an ignition system, the combination with a generator, and an ignition device driven thereby, of a worm member movable along the generator shaft for varying the .ber, control means for moving the worm member along the shaft to change the postion of the worm wheel relative to the shaft,

.andthe connecting means between said worm memberand the shaft for modifving the effect of said control means.

6. In an ignition system, the combination comprising'a driving shaft, an ignition device having a driven shaft, a worm wheel on said driven shaft, a worm member inengagement With said worm wheel and slidable along said driving shaft for varying the relative angular positions of the said shafts, and a pin-and-groove connection between the worm member and said shaft for modifying the effecton the relative positions of the shaft and the worm wheel caused by the movement of the worm member along the shaft. I

7. In an ignition system for an internalcombustion engine, thecombination comprising a generator propelled by the engine, a sleeve mounted on the shaft, of said generator and having spiral slots therein, pins projecting from the generator shaft through the slots in said sleeve, a worm rigidly mounted on said sleeve, a worm wheel meshing with said worm, and a timing mechanism operated by said worin wheel.

8. In an ignition system for an internalcombustion engine, the combination comprising a generator propelled by the engine, a worm member slidably mounted upon the shaft of said generator and having spiral grooves, pins projecting from said shaft and engaging said spiral grooves for effecting a spiral movement of the worm member along the shaft, a worm wheel in engagement with said worm, and a timing mechanism operated by said worm wheel.

9. In an ignition system for an internalcombustion engine, the combination comprising a timingmechanism, a driving shaft, a worm wheel and a worm member for connecting said timing mechanism to the driv-, ing shaft, control meansfor moving the worm member along the shaft relative to the worm wheel to vary the timing of the sparking impulses, and connecting means between said shaft and the worm. member for modifying the effect of the action of said control means.

10. In an ignition system for an internalcombustion engine, the combination comprising a timing mechanism, a' shaft for operating said mechanism in accordance with the operation of the engine, a worm wheel connected to said mechanism, a worm member mounted on said shaft and in engagement with said Worm wheel, controlmeans for moving said worm member along 'the shaft to change theposition of the timing mechanism relative to the shaft, and a pin UNl-gIOOVQ connection between the worm member and the shaft'for modifying the effect of the actionof said control means.

11. In an ignition system for an internalcombustion engine, the combination comprising a driving shaft, a timing mechanism, a gear member mounted on said shaft, a gear wheel connected to said mechanism and meshing with said gear member, and means whereby movement of said gear member along said shaft effects relative angular movement therebetween to vary the time of the sparkin the system.

12. In an ignition system for an internalcombustion engine, the combination comprising atiming mechanism, a driving shaft, means comprising gear wheels for connecting-said mechanism to the shaft and means whereby axialmovementof one of said gear wheels on said shaft effects relative angular movement therebetween to vary the adjustment of the,spark in the system. I

13. In an ignition system for an internalcombustion engine, the combination comprising a driving shaft, a timing mechanism; a worm member mounted on said shaft, a worm wheel connected to' said mechanism and meshing with said worm member, means for simultaneously effecting movement of said worm member along, and angular movement relatively to, said shaft to vary the adjustment of the spark in the system, and means mounted on said driving shaft for supplying lubricant to said worm wheel and the worm member.

14. The combination with a'driving and adriven shaft, of a gear mechanism for operatively connecting said shafts, a member of said mechanism having a connection to one of said shafts whereby axial motion of said memberefi'ects angular movement of said member relatively to said shaft and to a coacting member of said mechanism.

15. The combination with a driving and a driven shaft, of a gear mechanism for operatively connecting said shafts, a member of said mechanism having a connection to one of said shafts whereby axial motion of said member effects angular movement of said member in different degrees relatively to said shaft and to a coacting member of said mechanism.

16."The combination with a driving and a driven shaft, .of a gear mechanism for op eratively connecting said shafts, a member of said mechanism having a connection to one of said shafts whereby axial motion of said member effects angular movement of said member relatively to said shaft and toa coacting member of said mechanism said relative movements being in such directions as to tend to produce opposite adjustment of the relative angular positions of said shafts.

In testimony'whereof. we have hereunto subscribed our names this 1st day of April,

FRANK CONRAD. J. STANLEY KINNEY. 

